THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

The song is by Europe, the location of THIS final countdown (National Championships: the final Olympic qualifier) is Anchorage, AK.

Last year it was cold. When I say cold, I must stress that last year's conditions redefined the word. It was so miserable that I have heard people (when talking about current circuit conditions) ask "is it Alaska cold, or just cold?"

Yeah, it was bad. Like can't breathe, most of the races were canceled, bad.

This year it is downright balmy. 18 degrees on my run yesterday (12 noon) and I am heading out to the venue to ski this morning - course conditions to come.

With almost 300 athletes already registered, it is going to be a good time. Sun Valley ODT is staying in a B&B with a dog named Cuddles who has massive dingle-berries. I can't imagine he gets many cuddles but I will let you know.

The week's schedule.